Each year many residential and commercial buildings are destroyed by fires. For example, brush fires and forest fires destroy residential areas, while industrial fires occur in various manufacturing facilities. Often, the structures which were destroyed by fire could have been saved if reliable automatic fire protection systems had been in place. Conventional systems that exist are typically overly complex and subject to failure, especially since they do not need to function except in the undesired emergency situation.
Various conventional fire suppression systems are described hereinafter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,482 to Smagac et al. discloses a fire deterrent apparatus including an infrared, ultraviolet or electro-optical fire detector to detect the presence of a fire in the immediate vicinity of a residential structure. The fire deterrent apparatus further includes an anemometer to measure the wind magnitude and direction at the home site as well as a plurality of sensors situated at various locations around a defined defensive perimeter to detect the ignition of fires within this defensive perimeter. A computer based controller is used to monitor the water level in a storage tank and to control the activation of a plurality of water delivery systems that function to apply water to the surrounding vegetation, to the roof or walls of the residential structure, and to any other site-specific locations that are required to prevent the ignition of a fire in the defensive perimeter. The computer based controller monitors the water supply, wind velocity, and the locus and direction of the fire to sequentially and periodically activate various water delivery systems when fire occurs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,434 to Gelaude discloses an automatic fire protection system including a plurality of temperature sensors for monitoring the temperature of locations in a house or other structure. The sensors may read the actual air temperature of locations in a house. The system also includes sensors which react to radiant heat in order to detect a fire at some distance. When the sensors detect a given temperature, the sensors provide signals to a controlling circuit and mechanisms for actuating a plurality of sprinklers. A water line carries water from the water source through a pump and to the plurality of sprinklers on the house when the fire protection system is activated.
Each of the above referenced systems are extremely complex, requiring various sensors, power supply source, and additional electronic circuitry which couple the temperature sensors to the pump for pumping water from the water source to the sprinklers. Given this complexity, they are pre-disposed to failing in emergency conditions. For example, since they require electricity to operate, they will fail if electricity does not exist. A typical occurrence is when a spreading fire causes neighboring utility lines to be knocked down.
Thus, a simple and effective fire prevention system is needed.